This is a staff training course for Registered Nurses/Activity Co-ordinators working in continuing/residential care & day care settings. The course teaches staff how to provide activity therapy for patients with Alzheimer's and Dementia based on the proven ImaginationGYM methodology. Providing activity therapy can be quite a difficult task for many staff and the course will not only teach staff how to deliver effective activity therapy but will also provide evidence and case studies on our research in this area.

This 2 day course is spread over 8 weeks with the completion day on Wednesday 6th May 2020. On-going email, phone and social media support is provided during the 8 week period.
At the end of the course staff will be competent in delivering one hour activity workshops for groups of Alzheimer's and Dementia patients on a weekly basis.

A certificate of training is provided for all participants on completion of the course.
Refunds: A full refund is available up to 14 days before the commencement of the course. After that the full fee will be allocated against your account for future purchase of training or products from the website, provided cancellation is received 24 hours before commencement of the course.

ImaginationGYM® is a healthcare program based on music therapy, relaxation skills, imagination, nature awareness, communication skills and sensory stimulation. It is designed to be easily integrated into healthcare systems as part of existing activity programs.

Benefits include:

Relaxation skills

Concentration/Focusing skill

Group work

Communication skills

Word recognition work

Behaviour management

Decision-making skills

Sleeping problems

The activity workshops use a combination of music therapy, massage therapy, visual and sensory stimulation techniques to enhance the relaxation and concentration processes. The workshop creates a calm, quiet and relaxing environment for both participants and staff and can be used in one to one settings and with larger groups.

We have been running a research project in St.John’s Community Hospital Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford on the use of our programs with older people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.. This involved a 7 week research project into the adaptation of the programs for use in an Alzheimer’s ward.

The feedback from staff members was very positive and staffs from four wards and the daycare centre were trained to run the workshops as part of their activity therapy schedule.

We are continuing to research the project and this is providing us with very valuable feedback about where the program can be of most benefit in dealing with the daily issues that arise in the wards.

The most important feedback so far is how the staff are using the program to deal with agitation and restlessness in some of the older people in their care. They have had a success story with a man who paced the corridors every day from the time of his admission to hospital and with the help of the program and the work of the staff this pacing has improved hugely with very positive feedback from the man’s family.

Staff are now working with other older people who need assistance in different areas and we are monitoring what is working best to document it for research purposes.

“The sessions as presently structured – story with smells and massage followed by relaxation CD – is really having a calming effect with up to half the group falling asleep. Normally these residents can be very uneasy and the sessions are obviously relaxing and calming. Sessions are taking place on a Friday morning weekly, prior to the weekend when no social activities are scheduled. A definite success.”